Of Bugs, Flowers and Love
by Soubi Shoukyaku
Summary: Team 8 has been assigned to a mission, and Sakura's joining them... what? Sakura? What are you doing here? ShinoSakura YAY I FINALLY UPDATED! yay! sorry for the delay R
1. Chapter 1

**Of Bugs, Flowers and Love By: SoubiShoukyaku**

Disclaimer: Roses are red, Violets are blue, I no own Naruto, so you no sue.

Authors note: Hi there, SoubiShoukyaku here. Thanks for stopping by to read my story. This is the first multi-chapter story that I've written so please review and tell me what you think! Well this is a Shino/Sakura fic so this is just a warning in advance before you start to read this story. Well I won't keep you waiting! Please read and review!!!

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"Why? Why? Why?" A young girl leaped through the forest at an inhuman pace, scaling trees and dodging branches with precision. Tears streamed down her face as she ran, finally she skid to a stop and collapsed on the soft leaf littered ground and broke down and cried. "Why?" she asked. "What did I do to deserve this?" She sobbed uncontrollably as she weakly pounded at the ground with her fists. _Why? Why Sasuke? Why did you leave me? Am I really that weak? Am I really that worthless to you? Am I really that useless!?_ Sakura curled into a ball and slowly cried herself to sleep._ That is it! _Sakura said to herself _I will NOT cry for that baka anymore! It is time to move on with my life. It's time to get over... him... _As Sakura fell asleep she had one last thought._ It's time to move on... _

Unknown to the kunoichi laying in the clearing, a young man looked down on the girl from high up in the canopy. Dark eyes gazed down at her sympathetically from a face that was always framed by dark round glasses and a large overcoat. Silently he leaned against the trunk of the tree and watched over her as she fell into an exhausted sleep. A small insect crawled out from under the cloak and flew down to the sleeping girl a few seconds later the insect flew back and informed it's master that the girl was indeed fast asleep and would not awaken if moved. The bug master jumped down to the ground and walked to her, scooped her up and carried her home.

Silently he placed the slumbering kunoichi into her bed and covered her up and left a small rose and a small butterfly on a dresser near her bed, he used his chakra to coax the insect to remain there through the evening. He cast one last longing look at her before he leapt out of the window into the darkness, assured that his charge would be safe for the night.

Sakura awoke slowly the next morning, groggy from the previous night's emotional break down. She sat up and stretched and then realized that she was in her room. She immediately looked to her dresser and saw a rose and the butterfly sitting there peacefully. Sakura sighed.

"I wonder who keeps bringing me home and who leaves me these gifts." Sakura wondered out loud. For the past few months, whenever she went out into the forest to cry her heart out or if she happened to fall asleep at the park or at the training grounds she would always find herself at home in bed the next morning with a single rose and a beautiful butterfly on her dresser to greet her when she woke.

She picked up the rose and carried it to the window where a vase filled with a dozen roses, where she placed the new addition to her collection. She stood there for a moment, happy at the thought that there was someone out there who cared, even though she does not know who he was or why he did it. _I know that I should be frightened by this or at least worried about the person that has been doing this for me but I feel that I can trust this person, who ever he is_. Sakura thought to herself as she gazed at the roses, the butterfly, previously forgotten, flew to the vase and landed on the newest blossom. Sakura smiled at the sight and turned to her closet to get her clothes and get ready for the day. On the other side of the village Shino gave a minuscule smile, glad that his cherry blossom was happy again. Kiba who was sitting next to him noticed the bug master's change in attitude?

"Hey Shino. Whatcha smiling about?" Kiba grinned. Shino's face fell back into it's usual stoic state.

"You must be seeing things Kiba."

"No way Shino! I know I saw you smiling!" Kiba exclaimed jumping up and pointing a finger in Shino's face. "Tell me why!"

"It is not polite to point Kiba. And besides this is the third time this week that you've 'caught' me smiling. How do you know that it's not all just your imagination?" Shino smirked.

"Ugh!" Kiba exclaimed "Damn it Shino. I hate it when you do that. You know what? I give up!" Kiba growled "Where the hell is Hinata?!"

"I.. I'm here Kiba-kun" Hinata stuttered

"WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU?! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE HERE TEN MINUTES AGO!" Kiba roared. Hinata flinched and instinctively raised her arms to defend herself.

"Kiba!" Shino said sharply.

"Huh? Oh..." Kiba looked down at the ground sheepishly. "I'm sorry Hinata." Kiba said. "I was just a little irritated, I did not mean to take it out on you."

Hinata lowered her arms and nodded. "I... It's okay Kiba. I... I forgive you."

Kiba smiled. "Well, let's just get going then. We have to report to the Hokage's office now. Kurenai-sensei said that Tsunade has a mission for us."

With that the trio headed to the Hokage's tower.

"AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! I'm going to be late!!!" Sakura squealed as she ran through her apartment looking for various clothing and weapons. "Damn it Sakura! Why the hell does it take you so bloody long to take a shower!?" She grumbled to herself as she dashed from one room to the next. "Ahhh.. Tsunade- Sensei is going to kill me!!!" She exclaimed while ramming her foot into her shoe, then grabbing her keys and jumped out of the window. Sakura ran as quickly as she could hoping that she would make it on time.

Meanwhile

Shino, Kiba, Akamaru and Hinata were taking their time, walking to the tower when suddenly a pink blur rushed by them almost running them over. And then said pink blur skid to a halt.

"Woah! What the hell was that?!" Kiba yelped, jumping out of the way just in time. "omph!"

A pink haired female turned around and gasped. "Oh! Kiba! I'm so sorry! I was in such a rush I didn't see you there!" She ran over to him and helped him up. "Are you alright?"

As Sakura helped Kiba get cleaned up Shino could not help but admire the way her hair caught the sun light and how beautiful she looked. He was thankful for the fact that his glasses hid his gaze from her so that she would not notice that he was staring.

Sakura finished cleaning Kiba up and she looked over to where Shino and Hinata were standing. "Hi Aburame-san! Hi Hinata! Hi Akamaru-kun! " Sakura said, smiling, reaching down and patted Akamaru on the head.

"H.. Hello S... Sakura-chan"

"Hello Haruno-san" Shino replied politely. Sakura blushed under the Aburame's gaze and looked away.

"Where the hell were you running to so quickly?" Kiba asked her

"Oh, I was going to the Hokage's... OH NO!!! I'M LATE!!!! Sorry guys I have to go!!!!!" With that Sakura waved bye and started running again at an inhuman pace. A large sweat drop appeared on all three ninjas heads as they stared at the kunoichi's retreating back.

"I guess we should be going too" Shino said and started walking followed by Kiba and Hinata.

Sakura burst into Tsunade's office "I am so sorry Tsunade-sensei! I was distracted and I didn't mean to get here late..." Sakura stared disbelievingly at the sight before her. Papers, Sake bottles and various other items were strewn upon the desk and on top of it all was the Hokage, fast asleep. "Eh... Tsunade-sama?" Sakura walked up to the desk and gently shook the woman to wake her up. _I wonder how the hell she managed to sleep through all that. _Sakura thought as the woman slowly came to.

"Ugh... what time is it?" Tsunade asked, sitting up groggily. Sakura smiled at her sensei and started cleaning up the place.

"It's already eleven in the morning Tsunade-sama." Sakura replied, throwing away empty sake bottles and trash. She began to straighten up the papers on the desk when her eyes landed on a scroll. She picked it up. "What is this Tsunade-sensei?" Sakura asked holing the scroll up for her to see.

"Huh?" Tsunade asked and looked up at the scroll. "Oh that. It's just a information gathering mission for Team 8. They should be arriving soon." Sakura blushed lightly when she thought about a certain bug master. Tsunade grinned at the girl's blush, knowing about her young apprentice's crush on a certain shinobi, just then a knock was heard on the door. "Ah that must be them now." Tsunade said as she finished straightening her clothes and Sakura quickly made everything look nice and neat. "Alright then." Tsunade said. "Enter."

Shino, Kiba, Akamaru and Hinata all filed into the room and bowed respectfully. "You wished to see us Hokage-sama?" Shino asked, his gaze landed on Sakura and he had to force his eyes from her to look at the Hokage.

Tsunade noticed the Aburame's shift in focus and she looked over to where her apprentice was standing and an idea popped into her head. "Yes, I have a mission for you. You are to go to The Village Hidden in the Mist and collect information on an individual named Hakujou, Eimin. Our informants tell us that Hakujou is leading a rebellion and is intending to attack Konohagakure and we must find out what they intend to do and how to stop them. I've heard that Hakujou, Eimin is a ruthless and skilled shinobi, I want you to be careful on this mission and that you should try to avoid drawing attention to your selves."

"How long will this mission last?" Shino asked.

"This mission will last for three months. At that time you will return to Konoha and report what you have discovered. Understood?"

"Hai. We understand."

"Now this will be a dangerous mission, so I will be sending Sakura with you." Tsunade said, her lips curling into a sly smile.

"What?!" Sakura exclaimed loudly, blushing at the thought of her going on a mission with Shino. Shino's eyes widened in shock at that. "A... ano... Sensei... Don't you need me here at the hospital?" Sakura stuttered.

"No, We'll do just fine, and besides this mission might be dangerous so I will need a skilled medic to go with them. I believe that you are the best candidate for the job."

"I.. I see. I understand and I accept this mission." Sakura said, bowing. Tsunade smirked inwardly. _I wonder how this will turn out _Tsunade thought to herself._ Shino and Sakura obviously like each other, I wonder if this mission will be what finally convinces them to tell each other of their feelings. _

"You leave tonight. Go and get ready." Tsunade ordered, the shinobi bowed and left the room, only Sakura remained in the room with Tsunade to ask her a few questions about the mission, mainly about why she was suddenly assigned to the mission.

"Sensei..."

"I suppose that you want to know why I assigned you to this mission." Tsunade interrupted.

"Ah.. yes."

"Well it is because I felt that they would need a medic nin and also I think that this would be a good opportunity for you to get to know Shino Aburame better."

"Eh? Aburame-san? Why?" Sakura asked, hoping that her attraction to the stoic boy was not that apparent. Tsunade grinned.

"No reason, no reason at all." Tsunade chuckled and waved her arms at her. "Go now, shoo. Get ready for your mission." Sakura stared at her sensei suspiciously for a moment, bowed and then left the room.

"This will be fun." Tsunade said to herself as she poured herself some sake. "I can only hope for the best."

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**Author's Note: **Well that's all for the first chapter. What do you think of it? smiles I hope you liked it! Please review and tell me what you think of it so far. Suggestions are welcome!! NO FLAMES PLEASE!


	2. Chapter 2

**Of Bugs, Flowers and Love: By: Soubi Shoukyaku**

Disclaimer: Roses are red, Violets are blue, I no own Naruto, so you no sue

Author's note: Hi again! Thanks for reading! Well if you all haven't noticed, I've done some editing on chapter one, and hopefully that made a little more sense. Thank you for all your reviews!! *smiles* well I will not keep you waiting for much longer; considering that I have not updated in quite a long time for the simple fact that I am now working two jobs and that I am going to college full time. So…. SORRY FOR THE DELAY!!! T__T Please Read and Review!

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_When the tide of life turns against you  
And the current upsets your boat,  
Don't waste tears on what might have been,  
Just lie on your back and float. _

_By: Anon_

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Sakura walked to her home thinking things over. '_hm.... Me, on a mission WITH Aburame-san!?! For THREE MONTHS!!! Ugh,' _Sakura thought, a light blush covered her cheeks as she thought of a certain team mate of hers._ 'This will be rather difficult...' _

_**'HELL YEAH! We get to spend THREE whole months with that hottie Shino!!!' **_Inner Sakura cheered. _**'Alright here's the plan, next time we see him, we jump him and kiss him senseless!!!'**_

Sakura blushed at the thought and shook her head in disbelief at her inner personality. But she could not deny that what her Inner had said was certainly appealing to her. Also she had promised herself that she would get over that bastard Sasuke and what better way to do so than by going after her long time crush.

'_**CHYAH!!! STUPID SASUKE!!!! WE'LL SHOW HIM!!!'**_

Sakura was so deep in thought that she did not even notice that she had just passed her house, and she did not notice the man standing right in front of her, but she did notice when she walked into something that felt like a brick wall. She started to fall back but something caught her by the waist and pulled her against the brick wall, which she now discovered was someone's chest. Blushing she apologized and looked up, her voice leaving her as she did so. Standing just inches away from her was Shino Aburame. The person that had been plaguing her thoughts and had just saved her from falling to the ground in an ungraceful heap was now holding her around the waist and incredibly close to his warm body.

"Um…. I… I'm sorry about that, Aburame-san" If possible, Sakura's blush intensified and she tried to look at anything besides the handsome man before her.

"That's quite alright Haruno-san." Shino replied, releasing her, a light blush staining his pale skin. He was once again thankful for his jacket that covered half his face. "Where are you going?"

"Um.. I was heading to my apartment and…" Sakura looked around and noticed that she was no where near where her home was. "Eh heh… it seems that I've gone a little further than I was supposed to." Sakura stated when she noticed that her apartment complex was a few blocks back.

"Allow me to accompany you then." Shino said abruptly, surprising the kunoichi. Sakura looked up at him in surprise and then nodded. Shino nodded and began to walk in the direction of her home.

"Erm… alright" Sakura replied and followed after the shinobi. "So what time do you suggest that we leave for the mission?" Sakura asked, wanting to know how long she had to prepare and say goodbye to all of her friends.

"We leave at sunset. You have until then to do what you need to do. We will meet at the main gates. Do not be late."

"Heh, don't worry Aburame-san. I won't be late, I promise." Sakura said smiling. _'Hm, so that means we have the rest of the day to ourselves! I wonder what we should do then…'_ _**I know what we should do!' **_Inner Sakura declared and showed images of Sakura and Shino in a very compromising position. Sakura blushed and mentally yelled at her inner personality and managed to bring her blush down before Shino noticed. Shino noticed her odd behavior, then shrugged; deciding to ignore the pink haired woman's strange behavior and they continued to walk in companionable silence, both thinking about the other.

When they reached her home, Sakura turned to look at Shino and smiled at him. "thank you for walking me home Aburame-san."

Shino coughed lightly and nodded. "You're welcome Haruno-san. I will see you later…" Shino said and started to walk off when Sakura grabbed his hand. He turned around to see Sakura looking at the ground.

"Eh? What is the matter Haruno-san?"

"Um… Nothing is wrong… Um… I was wondering if you would like to go out to eat before we left for the mission." Sakura was blushing heavily as she said this and hoped that he would accept.

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**Author's note: **OMG!!!! GOMEN GOMEN!!! T__T I am so sorry that I haven't updated in about a year! I hadn't realized that it had been so long since I last updated. I've been so busy with school and work that time just flew by. So thank you to everyone that read the first chapter and reviewed ^__^ 3 and I'm sorry that this chapter is so short I'll try and update as soon as I can. Thank you all! ^_^ 333


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